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Tag: beautiful

  • ‘I honour my beautiful, quintessential wife’

    ‘I honour my beautiful, quintessential wife’

    • By Felix Ugbechie

    This rare woman in that beautiful casket is my beautiful Gloria Chukwunonyelum Ugbechie that we are gathered here today for her funeral service needs  no introduction. Her tribute writes itself and no matter how I begin it, others will take forever to complete it. And of her records in life all of that is written in the memory of those who knew her and has, had encounter or encounters with her.

    My light went out on May 9th when the Doctors confirmed my beautiful wife passed onto glory at the Isolo General Hospital, Lagos. It was a terrible shock because I believed she was making favourable progress towards recovery. God in His infinite wisdom had other plans. We were blessed with a wonderful family and I was looking to spend the rest of my life with her. I thought I would grow old age with her and find the utmost happiness with the spouse of my youth. But she is gone too soon at the prime of her life and the pinnacle of her happiness.

    When she passed and at her Tribute Evening, the multitudes of family, friends, relatives church members, neighbors who called me and attended the solemn event described her to me:  The person she was, her attributes, her character, her passion, her wisdom and kindness; and these attributes were merely a repetitions of who she is. In other words they all described my own wife to me in different words.

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    Glo was the happiest woman I have ever met on earth that I know. She made her own heaven here on earth and lived in it. She never complained, but she disagreed on varied principles and ideologies that are diabolical to humanity. She was a core idealist.  Glo never competed for attention. She never hurts people but she fights for what she believes in and hates the appearance of cheating. Peace and empathy was her hallmark. And she shrouded her world in it where she went.

    For me her husband, she tolerated my excesses and misbehaviour with uncanny calm and she controlled me by not controlling me.  She extolled me as the best and super husband in the world despite my faults.

    Unlike most women that support their husband when they misbehave, she will always rebuke me in her words “God is watching you. I won’t support evil against anybody for any again my husband.” She was my conscience watch.

  • The beautiful ones have been born

    The beautiful ones have been born

    • By Dennis Alemu

    Arguably, only few books have spawned more intellectual discourse on the subject of corruption in Africa than Kwei Ayi Armah’s popular 1968 novel, “The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born” has done.

    Published over five decades ago, the thrust of this captivating and interesting novel has over time become a veritable site of intellectual dialectics among scholars of African descent, and easily falls into the rank of Walter Rodney’s “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa.”

    The prolific Harvard-groomed Ghanaian-born novelist, Kwei Ayi Armah, had in his classic novel cast in bold relief, the pervasive corruption that had eaten deep into the social fabric of immediate post-colonial Africa. Of course, with Ghana under her first indigenous national leader, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, as its historical setting, the novel graphically pictured how the monster of corruption was capable of not only hobbling national development, but could seriously undermine the security of an entire nation with very dire and far-reaching consequences.

    Be that as it may, the argument has been that Africa’s true problem is not really that the beautiful ones had not yet been born; but on the contrary, it is a poignant case of the beautiful ones being too few in number to change the ugly development narrative of the continent. This school of thought has gained currency when it is carefully considered that despite the wind of Afro-pessimism that is blowing from the industrialized Western nations towards the continent, fuelled by localized corruption and bad governance, there have been flashes of promising leadership and good governance here and there.

    It is pertinent to note, however, that the political culture entrenched in Africa, right from the birth of political independence in majority of the countries, intrinsically promotes political impunity, corruption and governments which are not accountable to their peoples. Without an iota of doubt, this is the bane of transformative development needed with fervent urgency to change the development narrative of Africa, sub-Saharan Africa in particular, whose progress has been stunted and badly blighted by leaders who see the commonwealth of their nations as their personal estate.

    The foregoing notwithstanding, the beautiful ones – the good people with the fear of God and milk of human kindness flowing in their veins – needed to pioneer Africa’s development renaissance, have justifiably been born, judging from the great innovations in various spheres made by Africans at home and in the Diaspora. Of a truth, it is quite glaring that it is the political ecosystem prevalent in most parts Africa that is responsible for caging out the beautiful ones from the public office space. The beautiful ones are the expected servant leaders that could deploy public office to inspire a new paradigm shift in the governance architecture across all the nations in Africa and drive them through the fast lane of uncluttered progress and development.

    In the past, it was tenable to argue that it was Europe that ruthlessly underdeveloped Africa with the instrument of colonialism, but such development theory has simply evaporated and lost the grain of acceptability in contemporary times. Therefore, it stands to reason that Africans have governed themselves long enough to rewrite and correct the anomalies bequeathed on the continent by her erstwhile colonial masters.

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    In fact, the African political experience is replete with cases of leaders ruling their people to their own injury, giving credence to the adumbration that Africans have since taken over the inglorious task of under-developing Africa. Consequently, the rich intellectual capital at the disposal of the continent as a critical asset to liberate Africans from technological dependence on the West had been seriously undermined by policies that reinforce such dependence at a very prohibitive cost.

    Although it may seem an uphill task, when the beautiful ones actually assume the mantle of leadership at all levels in every African country, then Africa’s long-anticipated development revolution would come. But political pundits will be quick to aver that this postulation is nothing short of the adage that “if riches were horses, beggars might ride.”

    It was John F. Kennedy who said, “Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don’t want them to become politicians in the process.” As the saying goes, you can’t make omelette without breaking eggs – so how can someone become president of a great nation without participating in the political process?

    Conclusively, therefore, if the beautiful ones whom Africa needs in the corridors of power only see politics as a contraption for only bad or evil people to practice, then they would have invariably opened the doors for the so-called bad people to govern them perpetually.

    As the Greek philosopher Plato put it, “The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” This is the crux of the complicated leadership puzzle to be resolved for Africa to realize her full potential as a continent with the beautiful ones already born in it.

    •Dennis, a media consultant, writes from Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

  • Online shopping: Beautiful bride

    Online shopping: Beautiful bride

    With growing awareness in technology and more exposure to western lifestyle, more tech-savvy Nigerians are embracing online shopping. The fad has several merits for shoppers, writes TONIA ‘DIYAN.

    Nigerians have embraced the digital age, brought about by mobile phone revolution. With the increasing use of mobile phones, the Internet and the social media, many, young and old, can now do online shopping from the comfort of their homes and offices at the click of a button.

    Many of them have become brand savvy and eager to experiment simply by visiting any online retail outlet of their choice to buy goods and services.

    A survey for PayPal, an online retail outlet,  in 2015, among 500 people, estimated that 65 per cent of the country’s 50 million Internet users have shopped online at least once, while 24 per cent plan to do so.

    The survey said people have gradually migrated to buying items more online with the introduced ‘pay on delivery method’(see and touch what you are paying for), which is introduced to convince the average  Nigerian  that nobody intends to steal from him.

    This method of operation gradually built trust in the minds of many who now shop for items online.

    According to a survey, of the over 40 million Nigerians who are online, a sizeable amount actually visit online stores, resulting to a rapidly growing trend in visits and purchases.

    It has also been noticed that a target group of individuals who have access to the Internet and are in the age range of 18 to 40 years shop more on line in Nigeria.

    Indeed, online shopping in Nigeria is a fast-expanding area of  business. According to  Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of online companies,  the challenges, costs and logistics of operating offline retail shops in Nigeria make the value proposition of online shopping very relevant.

    The CEOs said online shopping by urban consumers has more than doubled, noting that digital influence has been rapidly expanding to small urban towns and rural areas, thereby increasing the number of mobile users in the country.

    The retail industry is generally fragmented, with huge differences in pricing, but online shopping, according to experts, tends to be 10 to15 per cent cheaper than other retail options and prices are consistent.

    In five years of its existence, online shopping has become a price setter for electronic and other goods. People compare prices on the street with prices online.

    The online sector remains the largest e-commerce sector in Africa valued at $13 billion and growing rapidly at 25 per cent annually. This, of course, is driven by the increasing number of people getting connected to the Internet.

    As  at  2013, Nigeria emerged the country with the largest  Internet connectivity in Africa with more than 56 million Internet users. This growth is further reflected in the number of orders made online from major online retailing vendors, which increased from 1,000 orders per day in 2012 to 15,000 orders per day in 2015.

    What this means is that   Nigeria has a great potential of adopting online shopping.

    However, there  are concerns around the security of online payment, delivery time, product quality and Internet  usage costs.

    Despite the concerns, online retailers are still building trust and interest is growing.

    Generally, online stores are identified by how they sell themselves. This means that the quality of their websites and constant innovation on their user experiences, count.

  • They will paint your ugliness in beautiful English

    The random newspaper, television station and online medium become vessels to itinerant grim reapers as you read. Editors of powerful news platforms, reporters and digital/mobile journalists in particular, have become death’s minstrels. Like Ogege, the spirit with embroidered woe, they have turned serpents, sleeping in Nigeria’s undergrowth, to merge with the hue of the prevailing wild.

    They forget that when Nigeria eventually submerges in the mire of bestial elements, even the press will be cannibalised. Nonetheless, the local media, like global news agencies, serve as emissaries and enablers of the dark, vicious lusts and ‘murders’ committed by politicians, industry titans and multinationals. How? By ignoring their monstrosities and couching their ugliness in beautiful English.

    It is hardly surprising that the politician and magnate remain the subjects of Nigerian media’s perennial fascination. Of these lot, the coarse and ferocious, wanton and bloodcurdling, are gleefully celebrated and coated in ornamental language by the press. The average newspaper, TV station and online medium wildly celebrates the ‘achievements’ and ‘statesmanship’ of established and closet criminals in public offices because it is very profitable to do so.

    To the press, it never matters that a state governor diverted and expended public fund to ship cronies and political associates abroad, to witness his lavish wedding to a trophy wife. The media hardly cares that a governor would splurge on an insolent ward’s wedding ceremony, at home and abroad, at a time he has refused to pay workers’ salaries and improve infrastructure citing ‘economic recession’ as his reason.

    Very few journalists are indeed, worried, that Nigeria’s incumbent public officers, like predecessors, have fleeced the country to the bones, in the guise of operational budgets and emoluments. State fund, stolen and diverted by these elements would attain judicious use if applied to nobler constitutional projects, like the provision of crucial infrastructure, security, potable water, stable electricity among others.

    The media hardly cares that such money could have saved lives if used to repair bad roads or renovate moribund primary health care centres. Thus while poor, underprivileged electorate die in ghastly road accidents; while thousands of newborn breathe their last and their mothers’ extinguish to birth complications, the Nigerian press obsesses about the ‘sterling statesmanship,’ ‘compassion,’ ‘brilliance,’ and ‘influence’ of the men and women  responsible for their untimely demise.

    Save some very few journalists and media that actually care, the majority of Nigeria’s Fourth Estate do not give a hoot about dying mothers and infants in Nigeria’s hospital labour rooms and corridors of death. They do not care that while the citizenry’s beloved die prematurely in extreme and avoidable circumstances, most incumbent and former senators, governors, presidents and even local council chairmen, sponsor their trophy wives, daughters and daughters-in-law abroad, to give birth in safer circumstances.

    Rather than speak truth to power, characters that could be mistaken for kindred spirits with the viper, scorpion, dung beetle, and hyena are elevated, worshipped and celebrated as the rarest of gems by the Nigerian press.

    The media celebrates these incarnations of humanity’s debris because doing otherwise could be suicidal. Politicians own the media. And tycoons determine the news. They place advertisements and pay the salaries of the men and women by whose professionalism or otherwise Nigeria accesses her news and information needs. Thus the quality of journalism you get.

    It is foolhardy of anyone to expect a journalist who hasn’t received  salaries in eight months to be objective about a news story involving a commoner and a politician. The commoner will ignite his conscience with tears but the politician will silence it with hefty ‘brown envelopes.’

    It is deceitful to anticipate fairness, honesty, integrity and accuracy from mainstream and online media whose existence and continuity are determined by the whims of influential politicians and business moguls.

    But the Nigerian society demands purity, integrity and impartiality from the press all the same.

    Journalists are accused as partners in crime with the Nigerian ruling class. To a great extent, this is true. It is also true that the Nigeria gets the journalism it deserves.

    Norman Mailer jests that “Once a newspaper touches a story, the facts are lost forever, even to the protagonists.” This is often true. Sadly, journalists are still the butt of the most demeaning jokes and premeditated put-downs. Nobody thinks much of a journalist.

    In the estimation  of big business, the citizenry and ruling class, the journalist, whatever his designation or job title, is the manipulable pawn and necessary evil that has to be courted and tolerated. The descent and humiliation of the journalist still persists in the hands of his employer; salaries still range from N15, 000 per month at entry level to N100, 000 per month at managerial level in most media houses.

    This resonates badly for the country. The principles of fairness and social responsibility of the press require that the journalist who would adorn the cloak of defender of the masses’ rights should be upright and flawless in character, work and personal ethics. Such admirable traits are impossible with Nigerian journalists because due to their constant and methodical impoverishment by their employers, they entertain less scruples and eagerly sell their souls to devils among the political, business class for ‘brown envelopes.’

    Yet the society seeks fulfillment of tyrant fantasies. Such fantasies often vary from the destruction of an unpopular government or despot to a worn-out civilization. Reality however, affirms the duplicity of such mindset. In Nigeria, where voters are continually tamed and kept on a leash by a ruling class that capitalises on obvious handicaps: their impulsiveness, insensibility to reason and judgment, and overt sentimentality, it becomes increasingly difficult to nurture and enable a fair, vibrant press.

    Despite its faults, society conveniently picks on a scapegoat for its infinite timidity and cluelessness: the press. The journalist is thus expected to serve as the conscience and moral compass of the society, challenging the government and checking the excesses of the ruling class, selflessly and uncompromisingly.

    As utopian fantasies go, these are noble expectations of the journalist but the Nigerian society ignores its cultural shift from conventional morality to unbridled hedonism. It assumes, hypocritically, that the press will continually give it honest and developmental news even as every segment of the society strives to unmoor the journalist from his role as a crucial appendage of the nation’s critical mob.

    The public, comprising big business, the government, and civil societies among other mob segments, vilify any journalist or news medium that seeks to educate and engage rather than entertain and perpetuate their biased definitions of reality. Several organisations are placing media advertisements and parceling expensive gifts to halt publications or shut down reportage that could hurt their interests even as you read.

    Contemporary Nigeria embraces the horrendous pageant that has turned news into paid publicity and mindless entertainment. In response, the journalist slips to survival mode and kowtows to lusts and vanities of modern, politically-correct society.

    Beneath the mindless glamour, cultural and ethical decline however, an insidious reality festers in the death of hope and incandescence of tragedy.

    At the centre of the turmoil is the journalist whose fate is so critically bound with the country’s.

    Rather than pose a challenge to the system that domesticates and enslaves him, he chooses the easiest way out and plays junkyard dog to tyrant cabals and the predatory bunch constituting the nation’s citizenry and political class. He assumes the role of a poseur and pretends to fight for the interest of the public. This sad charade will end badly for everyone.

  • Black is Beautiful

    Black is Beautiful

    Say it loud, I’m Black and proud’, ‘Young, gifted and black’, were among the songs that rocked the 60s and 70s. Black awareness waxed strong in the 60s and the ripples were felt in the 70s and beyond.
    Those were the years of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X – the years blacks in the Diaspora (especially in the US) were clamouring for civil rights. By 1968 ‘Black is Beautiful’ was the mantra among both black men and women or anyone having a drop of black blood in him/her.
    In New York City, London, Paris and other cosmopolitan cities, it was fashionable to be black and every black woman wanted to be a ‘Soul Sister’ à la Angela Davis – big Afro hairstyle. It is this awareness that gave Black & Beautiful its title. The writer speaks to black sisters (and also brothers) all over the world about the dignity and elevation of the black race. The topics covered by the writer, ranging from which foods to eat to get a beautiful black skin and how to look after one’s body, are relevant today and tomorrow.
    The writer starts off with a poem of Leopold Sedar Senghor, the poet-President of Senegal. Senghor was known for the beautiful lines in praise of the African woman. Senghor’s poems are mostly on Negritude – that which makes the black man black, be it music, culture or tradition – that which speaks to the inner man of the black man. Senghor was married to a white French woman while Ayo Vaughan-Richards was married to a white English man. That much they had in common. Could it be marrying out of their race that made them appreciate their ‘Negritude’? That’s a story for another day.
    Ayo Vaughan-Richards was a nurse. In fact, she was the first principal of the Lagos State School of Nursing on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, (from 1982 to 1987). It was during her days that she was inspired to write the book ‘when students and colleagues came to’ her with their problems which mainly concerned beauty and fashion.
    She was also a Director of Johnson Products Nig. Ltd, a ‘leading manufacturers of cosmetics and hair products for Blacks’. To her credit, only once in the book did she propose a product of this company as a beauty product.
    Writer says: “Real beauty radiates from within you”. Then she goes on to say that “Beauty of the external body is ephemeral, whilst beauty of the soul is eternal”. She counsels her sisters to try as much as possible to avoid stress. She advises them to be: Strong; Self-disciplined; Self-confident; and Ready to accept responsibility.
    “Diet”, she says, “is the lynch pin of our health and beauty” and “good health depends upon our eating the right kinds, right amount and right combination of food”. She believes a good diet will do more for your looks than the most expensive cosmetics. The writer counsels black women to take responsibility for their health and not be used as the dustbin or indeed guinea-pig for an uncaring pharmaceutical company.
    She suggests homeopathic alternative to those prone to side-effects from habitual use of chemical anti-malaria tablets. She gives tips on how to correct our eating habits. She also talks about consumption of vitamins. She describes the vitamins one by one and warns, “… there’s no point in consuming quantities of vitamins if your diet is well-balanced”.
    From the writer we learn that exercise became acceptable and even fashionable among Nigerian women between 1976 and 1986. She says that regular exercise improves the capacity of your lungs, will sharpen your intellect, give you confidence and help to protect you from stress and fatigue. She says exercise is fun and suggests exercises like walking, jogging, yoga, swimming and dancing. But she still maintains that exercise alone would not make a woman slimmer. It should be combined with nutritious diet. Sketches of exercises (by one of the writer’s daughters, Pinky) are on pages 38 to 41.
    She comes to Posture and says ‘a woman with poise is a woman with good posture’. She then goes on to show how that poise could be achieved from walking and feeling ten feet tall, sitting pretty and tips on facial exercise to give a woman a good facial expression.
    Writer believes that black women are blessed with beautiful skin and that if they have not had a life of ‘unremitting suffering or starvation’, they still look gorgeous at 50. This brings to mind that classic quotation of the famous black model, Naomi Campbell “Black don’t crack”. Writer says that rapidly accelerated ageing in a black woman could be as a result of illness, bad diet and pollution. She says that our skin is a mirror of our health and well-being. Throughout this long chapter in which she even deals with Harmattan and its effects on the black skin, not one mention was made of shea-butter used by the African woman (especially during this season) for skin-dryness. Neither does she mention the use of lime as cleanser by some black women. In her Daily Beauty Routine she also omits some products such as: coconut oil, palm kernel oil, shea butter, camwood and black soap known to feature among products used by black women for the body or the hair. Could this omission be attributed to her position as the Director of Johnson and Johnson Nig. Ltd, makers of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products?
    Writer believes that the hair, like the skin, is the good indicator of one’s state of mind and says also that the head is the seat of spiritual power in most African societies. She advises the black woman to consume foods rich in vitamins and supplements. Only in this chapter does writer mention local plants, oil and fats ‘as a base for pomades’.
    She gives some tips on how to mask the grey hair. It is also in this chapter (seven) that the reader can feel the writer as coquettish, social, a little bit mischevious (especially with the masking of grey hair and adding ‘a splash of gold or bronze’ to look stunning with an evening dress or traditional cloth). Her advice “never henna your hair if you use any of the other colouring agents or if you have grey hair” will not be accepted by some black women e.g. Somali and Ethiopian. It’s the same ‘orange-red’termed ugly by writer that henna users want instead of grey.
    Writer regularly says, “In some traditional African societies” without giving either location or name. This is frustrating to the reader who wants point of reference.
    Black & Beautiful is a politically-correct book. Hair relaxers were – and are still being – used by both black men and women to have straight hair like whites. Writer doesn’t say this. Is it because of her mixed marriage? Having said that, I’ll like to end with the writer’s advice that, ‘we should never allow long exposure to other cultures to completely change our attitudes to our own’.

    •Afolabi is a writer/culture advocate.

  • FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL BEDROOM DÉCOR

    FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL BEDROOM DÉCOR

    Your bedroom is the place you go to relax and escape everyday life. When designed correctly, bedrooms are soothing sanctuaries full of cozy bedding and peaceful decor that make you feel both happy and calm

    The fact that bedrooms are personal spaces often shared with another person makes decorating tricky. One crucial tip to keep in mind as you consider bedroom ideas is to forego popular trends or styles in favour of what makes you happy. If there aren’t any significant bedroom remodelling changes, determining your furniture layout is the first (and biggest) decision you will need to make. Once you’ve settled on a bedroom layout, take the time to select colours and decor that reflect your personality, but also take into consideration the serene nature of a bedroom. If adding new decorations and furniture isn’t enough of an aesthetic change, you can turn your bedroom makeover into a full blown remodel by creating your own master bedroom suite, complete with a sitting room and master bathroom.

    Picking bedroom colours and decorating ideas: Although your bedroom colour scheme is often a personal opinion, there are some paint colours that are more relaxing and better suited for your sleeping area. Studies have found that people with blue bedrooms often get more sleep because of the calmness it elicits. Brighter colours may lead to a better mood, but they also might keep you up longer at night. If you have a significant other with opposing tastes, consider master bedroom colours falling within the neutral range — such as variations of green, gray or brown — to keep everyone happy. Sharing many bedroom pictures that you’ve saved to your ideabook can be a great way to help your significant other get a sense of your bedroom remodelling ideas.

    When it comes to bedroom decorating ideas, your options are endless. When nailing down your bedroom design, it’s helpful to start by tackling the more permanent things, like furniture. Artwork and photographs that put you at ease are a great addition (although some advise against having family photos around, as they can hinder that “sexy bedroom” vibe), and mirrors are a must-have if you use the space for dressing. When considering bedroom ideas, bedding is always important — your duvet and decorative pillows should play nicely with the paint colour and bedroom wall decor, but can also be swapped out easily, which makes it easy to incorporate an interesting print or texture. Lastly, add some accessories to style your nightstand or dresser; just be careful not to go overboard — too many knickknacks can make your room feel cluttered and disorganised, which can actually cause sleep trouble. If you keep these bedroom decorating ideas and colour considerations in mind you should be well on your way to creating the perfect bedroom design.

    By the time you add dressers, nightstands, armoires and a bed, your sleeping space can easily get cramped — this is why figuring out the proper layout is essential to achieving the ideal bedroom design. The ultimate goal is to create a room that provides enough storage, yet still has enough space to move around.

    Before you buy a new furniture set, be sure to consider the bedroom size. Even though you might need three dressers and two nightstands in your bedroom, you might not have the space for them. Measure the furniture and visualise or tape out where it will go so you can judge what will actually fit. Be sure to leave plenty of walking space, and double check that drawers and cabinets have enough room to open properly. When picking a spot for your bed, consider all the windows and doors. Placing a bed underneath a window or close to the door can be a bad idea, especially for light

    The ideal placement for your bed is as far away from the door as possible, but still in a position that lets you see the entrance; usually, the corner diagonally across from the door is the best spot. Try and avoid having your head under a window due to the ebb and flow of energy going in and out; this causes disturbed and interrupted sleep. Do not position your bed so as to have your feet point out the door while you’re sleeping; this is called the “Death Position” as the deceased are carried out feet first, and sleeping this way is said to drain your life force.

  • Beautiful echoes

    Beautiful echoes

    Title: Echoes Of The Mind
    Author: Chuma Mmeka
    Reviewer: Benita Brown
    Pages: 56
    Publishers: Adfinity Media

    Echoes Of The Mind is a book of poems by Chuma Mmeka. Like its editorial review says, the collection which is Chuma’s second revolves around themes of patriotism, friendship, satire, child protection, sadness and death.

    The poetry is no doubt well written and activist in nature. This does not surprise me as Chuma is said to have been an activist and writer from childhood, and like he wrote in Live My Life: _”I have lived a full forty years”. What does surprise me is his introduction of an almost questionable style of blending regular English with the pidgin as found in “The Free Minds“; and I didn’t stop to wonder if the interesting 55 stanza-long piece that speaks out against Female Genital Mutilation would not have been better off written as a short story.

    I had read his first poetry book “The Broken Home” a couple of months back and must confess that I preferred the writer’s zeal and coordination in that collection, to the ‘free moral agent’ writing style he exhibited in this “Echoes Of The Mind”. That said, there are several poems in the latter collection that are simply mind blowing. As a lover of good poetry myself, I found these poems to be quite edifying.

    From the beginning, “We Are Not Equal” (with eight stanzas of three lines each),

    “Not Because I’m Gemini”:

    “… I’m real, I’m always willing to explore;_

    I can bake, I organize events and I act.

    I sing, I’m fit, I also play chess with tact;

    Reality and my exposure made me more

    Not an idealistic zodiac or worship bore.

    _ _

    Don’t bother with sentiments:

    I’m tired of religion as well as astrology,

    Both are pawns in this life’s dirty orgy.

    I believe in myself and I do my stints,

    But I never dwell on unrealistic glints.”

    “Stop The Hard Knocks” (eight lines), and “Once Like A Pearl” (eight lines), even the later sonnet “No Perfect Marriage” all stand out as impressively inspirational, revolutionary and top-rateable. But they are quickly followed by “The Safe Child” which sounded more like a commercial for vulnerable children.

    “Throes of Orphans” is another story that came in the form of a free verse. Very touching, it’s a story by two little African children recently orphaned probably as a result of HIV/AIDS; how they were banished and their home razed down to cleanse the land of their ‘witchcraft’. “Chu” and “Chi” were exploited even as they were out of school and living in the bush until the police picked them and insisted they bring their parents.

    “My Gem” and “Keep My Heart” tended towards love, while “Hello Dear Friend” and “A Poem For Betty” brightly appreciates friendship; “Rich And Poor Justice” seemed to reveal an anger against the world’s ‘better offs’. In “When Will You Come To Me?” the writer expressed a passion that was almost scary. He wanted a thing so badly that he announced his readiness to go to desperate miles to get it:

    “… Do I at this age remain a fool

    Do I break the horn of a live bull?

    Do I kick the tall and very fat sky

    Or the very depths of hell pry?

    _ _

    …Tell me when and how to meet with you

    _Is it at the hour of the clouds of blue?

    _Or beyond the place of man’s rearing?

    _Tell me now! For I’m almost done caring.”

    A most motivational aspect of this work of poetry would be the promotion of a necessary belief in a supreme being and a rekindled faith in oneself and attributes. “I Believe” and “Live My Life” fall into this category. Then there is the mystery embedded in “Higher Glory” and ”A Better Day”; and the heavy patriotism exposed in “Mama Nigeria”:

    “… Oh Mama Nigeria! Wake up now, come forth and don’t shy way

    Rise up from your sleepy slumber for there is no more time

    Please act, for the threats are much and the odds are high

    Do not drip another drop of blood for these heady children

    Tell us all to behave! Or Mama, it’ll be wisdom to use your cane.”

    And in “Have You Ever Dreamed?” Chuma Mmeka shows his love and aspirations for his fatherland:

    “… Have you ever dreamed

    Of a Nigeria where all is well;

    Where the streets are cleaned

    And everywhere is safe to dwell?

    __

    … Have you ever dreamed

     

    Of a Nigeria where peace and unity is secure;

    Where tribal sentiment discords are doomed,

    And terrorism and militancy becomes obscure?”

    I recommend the entire book to all lovers and collectors of great poetry. There is something interesting for every taste inside it.

  • ‘I don’t need a panel to tell me I’m beautiful’

    ‘I don’t need a panel to tell me I’m beautiful’

    She is the Director General of Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, the government agency saddled with promoting tourism in the country. Sally Mbanefo has been in the saddle for over two years, the period that has also witnessed new challenges and development in the sector.
    An ex-executive director of a commercial bank, a lawyer, wife, and mother, Mbanefo, in this interview with PAUL UKPABIO, looks back to her period so far at NTDC and gives an insight into the way forward for tourism to succeed in the country.

    HOW is NTDC coping with insurgency and tourism? Nigeria by nature is a preferred tourist destination, from the diverse cultural heritage and its topography.

    The country is rich in natural beauty with long blue beaches, rivers, caves, lakes and forests that make her a preferred tourism destination.

    Let me state that insurgency is a global issue, it is not peculiar to Nigeria alone. For instance, countries like America, Iran, Iraq, Egypt and Israel, among others, have a history of terrorism.

    There are many festivals in Nigeria like the Calabar Festival, Argungu Festival, Port Harcourt Lagos festivals and so on, In comparison with the Rio of Brazil and Notting Hill carnival in UK, how will you rate our events?

    Truly, Nigeria has many festivals, fascinating ones. Our festivals are unique, captivating and they tell a story. Festivals like the Osun Oshogbo Festival in Osun State, Mare Festival in Ondo State, Igbo Ukwu (New Yam) Festival in the east, Kano State colourful and popular Durbars, Arugungu Fishing Festival in Kebbi State, cultural dance troupe from Benue State, a dying pit in Daura, Katsina State, and many more are very thrilling.

    Our festivals over the years have been attracting lots of tourists. Sango Festival in Oyo State has been exported to over 40 countries in the world today. In spite of Ebola outbreak, Osun Oshogbo in 2014 recorded over 12,000 tourist arrivals with almost N20million related expenditure.

    However, in comparison with the Rio Carnival of Brazil and Notting Hill Carnival in UK, our festivals are not really there yet due to lack of adequate funds, inadequate infrastructures, negative image of Nigeria internationally, lack of proper awareness among our people and of course over dependence on oil revenue.

    What effort is NTDC putting to ensure the hospitality industry in Nigeria competes favourably with its counterparts?

    Under my administration, NTDC is really doing a lot. We have begun the campaign for domestic tourism in Nigeria with the authentication of tourist sites in the six geo-political zones with Aokpe Pilgrimage Centre being authenticated recently under religious tourism. Also, we have compiled a domestic tourism calendar of all our festivals; we have redesigned our web portal to make it more informative and user friendly.

    We have also been able to successfully bridge the gap between the public sector and the private sector through successful public private partnership (PPP). NTDC’s partnership with Viko Group of Companies limited has opened six tourism information desks at Abuja, Lagos (2), Kano, Calabar and Enugu airports. This is part of the corporation’s effort towards promoting domestic tourism, disseminate tourism information, assist in gathering and collating data of tourists entering Nigeria and to create jobs for our teeming unemployed youth.

    The game changer is a tourism bond and a tourism departure levy. For example, a tourist may have seen the slave trade story from other African countries’ perspectives but the story is not complete until they have visited Nigeria for the last part of the jigsaw. They may enjoy golf and so want to play in the sunshine which we have an abundance of, but be surrounded by first-class amenities at a price that represents value. The tourist may want to travel across water to an offshore beach resort just as he does in Tanzania or Zanzibar. He or she may want an ecological experience and yet know that when they get back to base they too have comfort, a great meal and seamless internet connections. The tourist may want a well-planned tour of durbars and festivals but know that at each place he will be spending the night in comfortable world-class accommodation that enhances the experience. We want to create family-holiday destinations whether these are at beaches, water parks or even focused around Nigeria’s numerous lakes. There are ideas that we need to focus and galvanise to create a product that meets all health and safety requirements.

    It is being said that countries like UK, Russia, Ukraine even Ghana are making a lot of money through educational tourism. Many of our people go there for study. What can NTDC do to help Nigeria gain from this thriving industry?

    We have begun talks with the Ministry of Education to see how tourism can be included in the curriculum of primary school level education. Children can visit zoos, understand ecotourism and visit tourism sites as part of their schoolwork. That way we can create a paradigm shift from a very young age

    Nigeria depends on crude for sustenance and in the face of dwindling fortune of crude oil, how do you think tourism can be positioned to generate revenue?

    Tourism is about providing assets for people to invest in. We intend to launch a tourism bond underpinned by what will be secure revenue stream generated from a prospective tourism development levied on departures. The bond will give us the money we need for investment in the six projects today and these investments will create jobs; careers, transfer of skills and the right product.

    The yield on the bond will recognise that we want investment and recognises where we are on the tourism ladder today. It’s all about upside. People will not invest in assets unless there is a revenue stream from that investment and a return on their capital. What are the assets we have in Nigeria? Nigeria is blessed with waterfalls, caves, hotels, parks, sandy beaches, large lakes, and historic sites. Nigeria is able to offer a range of tourism experiences applicable to the general holidaymaker as well as the traveller looking for something off the beaten track. To invest in tourism, there must be clarity on how people can invest their tourism dollars for a fixed period, how they can monetise this tourism investment and how they can see a clear path for exit or onward sale of their investment, if need be. My idea is to identify for investment, tourism projects aimed at specific tourists and to create an enabling environment that respects and encourages this investment.

    And the first step is to identify six projects in the six geopolitical zones that will benefit from investment and bring these investments up to a world standard. I see a read-across for Nigerian tourism with countries like Morocco, Tanzania, Vietnam, Zambia, Rwanda, South Africa, parts of the Caribbean and even Peru in terms of creating a unique experience not to mention beach experience and golfing experience, where with the right type of investment we will provide alternatives to Morocco and parts of the Caribbean. We are a friendly nation welcoming of visitors. Once identified, I intend to put the six (specific) projects into a prospectus which should be a document that forms the compendium of opportunities we are inviting people to invest in.

    Where do you see tourism in the next five years?

    With the right funding and necessary support in place, Nigeria will become the most preferred destination of choice. Tourism in Nigeria will be very competitive as with other countries of the world. Nigeria cannot continue to remain a mono economy. My dream for Nigeria’s tourism is for youth involvement in tourism, make Nigeria a thriving domestic tourism haven; in two years, have at least one decent tourism site per geo-political zone and 2-3 in five years in each zone, encourage developmental journalism by Nigerian press, include tourism in primary and secondary schools’ curricular. Domestic tourism is a phenomenon identified to hold key to the development of many developed countries. If it is properly planned, developed, controlled and marketed, it is capable of sustaining the economy and checking rural-urban migration in Nigeria.

    Being the executive director of a commercial bank, lawyer, wife, mother, a technocrat, amongst many other things, how has it been as the DG so far?

    Being the DG NTDC so far, God has been faithful and merciful to me. Since I became the NTDC DG in May 2013, I have given the corporation a new direction. I have drawn up a new roadmap navigating new frontiers in tourism. An important priority here is the focus on creating synergy by developing the local content of the tourism industry. Creating synergy is crucial, that is why the promotion of domestic as a source of generating revenue and creating jobs is on the right line.

    You are also a philanthropist; the founder of Sally Mbanefo Foundation, being the NTDC DG in a country that an average person lives below the dollar, how have you managed to make your tenure a success?

    My success is putting my staff first by treating them as a human capital asset; the most valuable asset. Philanthropist may not be the word to describe me, I believe that God blessed me with careers that have empowered me and as such all that I have earned or received from God belong to God through the poor. I do what I do because it is what God expects from me. Not because I am a philanthropist who would give back without thinking of God. I give because I believe all I have belongs to God and I will make every under privileged child happy by showing my love for God through them. I love working for God because he says whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto me.

    This came to me as a surprise, when researching you I found out you are also a painter. I know women multitask but this is taking it up the notch. Do you drive tractors too?

    Yes, I love trucks and tractors, and art is my life.

    On a lighter mood, were you ever a beauty queen?

    No, of course not! I don’t need a panel of judges to tell me whether I am beautiful or not. I believe every one created by God is beautiful in one way or another, some subtler than others, yet God has created a fit for every creature he made.

  • Jos: A beautiful city in retreat

    Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together— Rev. Jesse Jackson  

    I find Jos, the enchanting and at the same breath beguiling city of my birth, simply irresistible, enthralling and alluring. It is to me like a beautiful lady in whose company I find solace and comfort. This is why, despite its recent fate of being ‘bound to violence’, I still find it worthwhile at any slight opportunity to visit and commune with and suck in its captivating beauty.

    Therefore, when I got a short breather recently from the hectic life of staring and working endlessly at my computer screen, I hopped on the next available opportunity to run to the saner atmosphere of Jos. The lure of its weather, lovely and accommodating residents coupled with the varieties of fruits and vegetables that are garden fresh and succulent are enough attraction that can lure one like moth to light.

     I had planned to utilize the few days I had to embark on a brisk tour of the city and see for myself the so much talked about improvement and massive rebuilding of the capital city which former governor Jonah Jang had done. There is no doubt that he had perhaps affected the growth and development of the city more than any other governor before him. But that is where it ends. He is also on record as the most divisive governor that had ever presided over the affairs of the state. Religious and ethnic crises didn’t start with his tenure, but he weighed in more on one side of the divide more than the other. A true leader should not be seen supporting either openly or covertly any side.

    There is no way one can deny that the former governor had impacted greatly on the development and urban renewal of Jos, but one thing that is glaring is that the massive renewal are sectional and concentrated in only one section of the city. For instance, Terminus, which is the main central business district and the economic artery of the city, has become a vast refuse dump due to neglect and the atmosphere has become so poisoned that I wondered why an epidemic has not broken out in the city. Why should any responsible government leave its main business artery to suffer such a fate?

    What has happened to the state’s mantra of ‘Home of Peace and Tourism’ when heaps of dirt with offensive pungent odours has taken over the major streets of the state capital?

    Although I arrived at a time when civil servants in the state have declared a trade dispute with the government in protest of its failure to pay them in the last six months or so, the question is why no interim measure was taken to save the city from an epidemic? The former governor, I was told decided not to say anything nor enter into any negotiation with the Labour unions thereby passing the buck to the incoming government. Would this have been the case if the governor’s ‘anointed’ candidate had carried the day at the poll?

    In Plateau State, the citizens perhaps against the run of expectations, for the first time in a long while decided to turn their back on their former party of preference. They voted for change. The ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the leadership of ‘Baba’ or ‘Da’ Jang was shocked. The party apparatchik before the election had believed it was a walk over. How they arrived at this conclusion still rankles.

    The politics of the state was simply that of “Baba ya che”, the Hausa word for “Baba said”. It was a government of everything, or almost everything Baba says becomes the norm and no one seems to have anything contrary.

    However, with the change of baton at the state this weekend it is expected that things would begin to change. The new governor, Simon Lalong is not new to the politics of the state and he has the benefit of coming from the other part of the state that is not beholden to any of the interests that held his predecessor captive. He has a lot to learn from the mistakes of his predecessor who saw his tenure has a time to ‘recoup’ the perceived ‘loss’ of his people and serve as their liberator. What he failed to realize was that in a state like Plateau, no single ethnic group has the number to elect an individual or keep him in power. Or even if this were possible, as soon as the election is over you become the governor of all and not a section.

    Governor Lalong himself knows this and should not hesitate to take bold steps to redress the wrongs that had been perpetrated by Jang. The state is too ethnically diverse to be beholden to one and concentrate developments in just one quarter of the vast city.

    Under the past administration, Jos was a city under siege. It was a city that has become divided and seems to have lost its steam to bubble and attract adventures. Night and social lives which were the city’s strongest points have retreated into oblivion and fear, people no longer enjoy the confidence to move without restrictions because there are some parts of the city that if you wore a certain kind of clothe you feel unsafe and under threat. How can a city grow under an atmosphere where suspicion is the first condition for survival? This tide must change and the new governor already has his tasks well cut out for him. His biggest is to find out how to rebuild the confidence of the populace and make them work for peace. But the leadership has to inspire the people and let them know that co-existence and peace among all people and religions are the ingredients and engine of development of any society, anything other than this is a fluke.

    This is the time to rebuild Plateau, farewell Jang, welcome Lalong.

  • ‘Nigeria is more beautiful than ugly for me’

    ‘Nigeria is more beautiful than ugly for me’

    Mrs Patty Mastrogiannis is an art collector turned gallery owner. She has been a curator with more than 20 exhibitions in three years. She talks about art business, curetting shows and living in Nigeria. Udemma Chukwuma reports

    Exhibition curetting is gradually becoming part of most exhibition shows.  You would ask what exhibition curetting is. Exhibition curetting in a layman’s way is the act of seeing that an exhibition went successfully, from the planning stage to the day the exhibition is executed.

    The person who makes this happen is known as an exhibition curator.  However, it was gathered recently that some of these curators charge the artists up to two million naira to curette a show, while some charge more, making it difficult for artists to exhibit their works for public viewing.

    In some cases when the artist wishes to curate the show himself, the curator caucus goes as far as telling gallery owners and art collectors not to patronise the artist. This was the case of renowned artist, Emma Mbanefo, when he had his solo art exhibition last year.

    This sounds strange to Mastrogiannis who has been living in Nigeria since 1975 and had curetted 20 exhibitions where she charged no fees. She is of the view that stabilising the price charged by gallery owners and the exhibition curators would go a long way in helping artists.  But unfortunately, the art sector has no governing body like the telecommunication, broadcasting body and other professions in Nigeria.

    In order to know why gallery owners bill artists with neck-breaking price for a show, Mastrogiannis said: “I cannot comment on this because it’s sensitive; each gallery has its strategy, and their own way of dealings. I don’t know what other galleries are charging, but some take cash, some take commission. In my gallery, we are using different approach to exhibitions. If an artist thinks the gallery is over charging, he should change gallery.”

    Promoting young artists

    For Mastrogianmnis, owning a gallery “goes beyond that,” which is why she believes in promoting young artists and so far she has many young artists signed under her gallery. “These artists need help even some of the established ones need help but they don’t know how to go on about it.  If this industry were dealt with professionally to start with by the dealers, the artists won’t produce and still be looking for buys. It is the responsibility of art dealers to carry the burden of marketing and selling of the works of an artist, not the artist. Their (artists) duty is to create the works and the dealer promotes and sells the works for them.”

    Her goal aside making profit is to help the young talented ones become established artists. “It is a very big competition in the art, and some people are so good and they don’t have anyone to expose them. Those are the people I take on. I am not saying I will not like to take any of the giants, of course I need them for balance, but the younger ones are the ones I want to reach out for because they are the ones that need me. Art is a leading thing in Nigeria and Nigerian artists have been booming for a while, and keeping them there is what people like me are trying to,” she informed.

    “I don’t make profit in my shows; the works are a lot cheaper than when I am not having them for a show because I want to sell out for the artist, I want the collector to know he is going to make a profit from the show.”

    Advising artists on price stability, she urged them to stabilise their prices.  “Some artists over rate their works, they should stabilise their prices and slowly build up the price. You cannot sell your expensive work overnight; it doesn’t happen in a day.”

    How she went into art business

    Before Mastrogiannis opened Alexi’s gallery, she was into home store. She sold gifts, furniture and other items for decorating homes. “People laughed at me when I opened the gallery,” she said, “the artists laughed at me, they pointed their mouths at me and said, oyinbo, wetin she know, she wan do art business, but today I am laughing back.”

    However, she said: “The gallery was not meant to be, I never counted opening a gallery, it wasn’t planed, and it was a coincident. I’m an art lover, an art collector. The gallery used to be my warehouse before it was turned into a gallery.  I had some artists as my friends and I buy their works to decorate my house and one thing led to another and I started collecting their paintings. Then someone said, ‘let’s empty this place and make it a gallery.’ We emptied the warehouse, painted it white and hung a few paintings on the wall; that was how Alexis’ Gallery came into existence in 2011.

    Art business, according to her, is booming and very lucrative in Nigeria. “Profitable on a large turnover, yes, challenging, extremely, because artists are not very easy to deal with and keeping them is another challenge I face. I’m in very good terms with the artists; we have a very good rapport and this is really helping the business,” she informed.

    Why it takes months for some artists to sell their works

    “Some artists sell in specific galleries while some galleries don’t sell some artists because of the different client database, some clients want realism, some abstract, which is affecting some artists in terms of selling their works. The only way I think to back an artist sell his works is to promote him, to sign him on, to show his works, to expose him, though exposing him overseas is a bit difficult, but charity begins at home. You start from helping them here (at home), then abroad,” she explained.

    For the benefit or art and artists, she said government can help the art dealers in helping artists. “There are so many art dealers who are doing the promoting. The government can always do more for art because this is a big industry. A lot of my artists go abroad and I beg them not to, their heritage is here, and this is home. You are a king in your home, you are not king abroad.

    “I visited the National Museum in Lagos recently, no generator, and the place is anyhow; this is wrong. The museum is the image of Nigeria. If Nigeria wants to lift her image, they have to start doing little things, like rebuilding the National Museum to a world standard museum,” she urged the government.

    Living and doing business in Nigeria

    Mastrogiannis described Nigeria as home. “I don’t live in Nigeria. Nigeria is my home. It is my native home. My parents have been here for four generations. I’m a Lebanese by heritage but I am an African, a true African, just people make mistake by my skin colour.”

    “I see so much beauty in this country which a lot of people fail to look at; everybody faces on the negative, but there is still something so much positive, people tell me oyinbo, go back to your country. What am I still doing here if this wasn’t my country, what will I be doing here if this country was so bad. I can live anywhere of my choice in the world with my skin colour, but why did I decide to live here? Because Nigeria is more beautiful than ugly for me. I see more beauty in Nigeria than I see corruption.

    When not working or curetting, “I try to relax, I play with daughter, she is my oxygen.”

    Her feeling on the notion people have about Lebanese not being trust worthy

    In Lebanon, just like in Nigeria, we have good and bad people, and you can’t say the whole nation is bad because of one corrupt person. Lebanese people have been in Nigeria for hundreds of years, some of them are your worst nightmares; they are my people, my parent’s people, but some of us are God-fearing, hard working and honest people. We the Lebanese people establish businesses in any country we enter. I am not saying Lebanese people are God’s gift to mankind. We all are not bad.  I think it’s over rated when people say Lebanese people are bad!